Christine is the Founder and CEO of CouldYou?, working in Mozambique since 2007. Christine brings 25 years of experience designing, assessing, and implementing youth, adult, family and community based social and economic programs. She has worked as a fundraiser and coordinated urban, community and outreach programs. Christine has a passion to nurture purposeful living in the philanthropic community so as to alleviate poverty in a meaningful way.

Christine holds a BA in International Management from Pace University and a certificate in Community Economic Development from San Diego State University. In 2016 Christine was chosen as one of the forty over 40 women who are reinventing, disrupting and making an impact globally.

Andrew Ripley, Board Member

Andrew Ripley is Co-Founder and CEO of PurposeMatch, a software that helps people discover purpose and design a life and career that makes a social impact. Prior to that, his background is in business development, both with large enterprise companies like IBM and fast growing software startups. Along the way, he also co-founded a fitness app called FitFuse. Andrew is a fearless business builder with a relentless work ethic and uncompromising integrity. His commitment to living a purpose-driven life, connections and network within the social impact space, and his “do whatever it takes attitude” make him a natural fit for the team. He brings to CY expertise in business development, sales and start-ups. Andrew joined the CouldYou? board in 2017 to lend his expertise with a focus on strategic partnerships and fundraising.

Steve Kaloper, Board Member

Steve is the Founder and CEO of Development Services Group, which offers fundraising strategies for non-profits, integrating various aspects of the donor-cultivation process including “The Art of a Relationships Campaigns” for the purpose of advancing the organizations mission and raising the needed funds is his specialty. Steve is also co-Founder and CEO of the Kingdom Capital Group, where Steve developed the concept of Impact Philanthropy, a results oriented approach to giving—and a key aspect of the New Wave of Philanthropy. He is a consultant to non-profit organizations both domestically and internationally and serves high capacity families with an investment banking model to philanthropy. Steve has over 20-years experience in marketing, developing strategic relationships, and consulting in the private, public and non-profit sectors. He authored his first book in 2015; “The Journey Into DoingGoodBetter”. Steve joined the board of CY in 2017, to advise on fundraising strategy and donor cultivation.

Stephen Hagerman, Board Member

Stephen is the Founder at ES Capital, LLC. He led the acquisition and disposition of $900 million of distressed residential real estate in California, Arizona, and Texas and the structure and placement of over $1 billion of debt and equity transactions involving all major property types: Office, Industrial, Retail, Multifamily, Residential, Land, and Hotels. He was the co-founder and Chief Investment Office of Aslan Residential, Genesis Realty, Covenant Escrow, and Cornerstone Financial businesses. Mr. Hagerman began his career with Buchanan Street Partners, a commercial real estate private equity firm based in Newport Beach, California. While at Buchanan he was involved in the structure and capitalization of over $1 billion worth of residential, multi-family, retail, office, industrial, and hotel transactions.

Stephen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Kansas and is a licensed California Real Estate Broker. He is actively involved in a number of charitable organizations including The Village of Hope (Orange County), and Big Brother, Big Sisters (San Diego). Stephen joined the CouldYou? board in 2013 to focus on fundraising and strategy for CY’s long-term financial sustainability.

Megan Gjovig, Board Member

Megan is a Managing Partner at Goel Fund. Goel Fund focuses on making seed-stage equity investments in companies that have extraordinary rapid-growth potential with an innovative, defensible, and scalable product. Goel Fund is committed to dedicating one-third of its realized gains to philanthropic endeavors. She has worked in a variety of business settings over the past decade, and has a life motto that all experience is good experience. Starting her post-college career answering phones on music row in Nashville and wearing a hard hat and steel toe boots in the oil-fields of North Dakota, it was clear from the beginning that Megan is not afraid of jumping into diverse business environments and getting her hands dirty. Megan learned early in her career the merit of knowing how to sell and make a deal. She sold handbags to housewives, cars to dentists, advertising and digital printing services to large companies, and gained invaluable experience in residential real estate. Megan is thrilled and grateful to be a female angel investor working with some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs in the start-up world. Megan released her first book, Faith Made Well in Spring of 2017

Kari Byrd, Board Member

Kari comes to the CouldYou? board with 16 years of experience in Corporate Event Planning and Business Development. Some of her past projects have included the Moet Hennessy USA National Distributors Meeting and President’s Award Dinner, The United Nations Association Global Leadership Award Dinner, The National Committee on American Foreign Policy Gala, and The Wharton Business School’s Joseph Wharton Awards Dinner.

Her main focus has been on corporate communications, but Kari also spent three years in the non-profit sector at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), headquartered in Washington, DC. She ran the satellite development office in New York City, with a focus on fundraising events. Kari’s tenure at NCMEC resulted in her developing a specialty in corporate sponsorship acquisition. In 2013 Kari joined the CY Board wanting to lend her expertise in corporate sponsorship to strengthen and grow the organization.

Kari holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from SUNY Geneseo.

Geri Beaty, Board Chairman

Geri Beaty, Founder/President Event Innovations. Geri has over eighteen years experience in publishing and more than twelve years experience in event production and management. In 2002 Geri began her own consulting and management company and has been working successfully as an outsource consultant to both for profit and nonprofit organizations. Event Innovations focuses on assisting organizations with event growth and/or change as well as streamlining processes and collaborating with internal management to ensure all goals are achieved. Geri joined the CouldYou? board in 2016 to lend her expertise in helping non-profits get to the next level.

Advisors

Markham Gjovig

Mark is a Founder of Goel Fund, which focuses on making seed-stage equity investments in companies that have extraordinary rapid-growth potential with an innovative, defensible, and scalable product. Goel Fund is committed to dedicating one-third of its realized gains to philanthropic endeavors. Mark has been an entrepreneur in the oil and gas sector for over 35 years. He made his first exit in 2004, which led to him being appointed Vice President of Wireline Operations for Wedge Energy, and subsequently Pioneer Energy Services. He expanded their operation from 8 districts and 45 units to 23 districts and 100 units from 2008-2011 through acquisitions and organic start-ups. In 2011 he cofounded Go Wireline with his son and a team of partners. Mark is passionate about mentoring entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds and interests. His decades of experience managing businesses and people through exciting and challenging climates have prepared him to advise the next generation of leaders of industry.

Rustom Masawala

Rustom is the Senior Vice President of International Markets at Jaguar Animal Health. He has worked in the developing world for the past 12 years. In his latest endeavor he was the Director of Business Development at Millennium Promise, a project of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, dedicated to using a holistic approach to bring people living at the bottom of the pyramid out of the poverty trap. The project spanned ten countries and fourteen different locations across Sub-Saharan Africa and directly benefited close to a million people. Prior to that he worked as the Health Portfolio Manager at Acumen Fund, a leading Social Venture Organization. As one of its earliest members of that organization he played a key role in its growth and development and turning it into one of the best known organizations working in this space. He currently runs his own consulting practice and works with a number of NGO’s, high net worth individuals and corporates, in helping them advance their own goals. Rustom holds a Bachelors in Physics/Math from the University of Mumbai, a Masters in Computer Science from SUNY, and a Diploma in Business Management from Xavier’s Institute of Management.

Whynde Kuehn

Passionate about bridging the gap between vision and execution as well as using business as a force for good, Whynde is the founder of two companies, S2E Consulting Inc. and Metanoia Global Inc. S2E is a consulting firm accelerating successful business transformations—with a focus on Fortune 500 companies. Metanoia helps social entrepreneurs and initiatives to start, scale, replicate and sustain, leveraging a strong foundation of skills from the business world. Whynde’s focus has evolved over time from traditional business, to sustainable business, to social business, as have her clients, which range from start-ups to Fortune 50 companies and everything in between. She has architected many major corporate change initiatives and was a key player in one of the largest business transformations in the world. Whynde is a former consulting practice leader and an industry expert and educator in business architecture and transformation. Through her work with Metanoia, her pro bono efforts and the non-profit boards that she serves on, she demonstrates how business can focus on purpose as well as profit, and how enterprise can be a solution to poverty.

Leonardo Simao

Dr Simao is a Mozambican politician. Simão joined the FRELIMO government in 1982 as the Director of Health in Zambezia. In 1986, he became the Minister of Health until 1994 when he became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Mozambique under Joaquim Chissano. He remained in that position until February 2005. He has been appointed as the EDCTP High Representative South with special focus on Africa and is the Chairman of Focus Africa. He is currently the Executive Director of the Joaquim Chissano Foundation and is also the Chairman of the SADC Mediation Reference Group, and Chairman of the steering committee of the Business Environment Support Fund in Mozambique, a development initiative funded under Denmark’s development cooperation activities.

Rick Little

Rick Little is a “serial social entrepreneur,” having created numerous initiatives to promote hope and economic opportunity for millions of young people – now operating in more than 100 countries. He is founder of the ImagineNations Group, and developer of Silatech (in the Middle East) where he currently serves as Chairman of its Executive Committee and a member of its Board of Trustees. He founded the International Youth Foundation (IYF), created Quest International and was founding President of America’s Promise. His innovations have been featured in many publications and books, including the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul. In 1996, Mr. Little was chosen as a Global Leader for Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum, and in 1997 received the Robert W. Scrivner Award from the Council on Foundations. He was co-chair of the United Nations’ High Level Panel of the Youth Employment Network. He received an Honorary Doctorate degree from Anderson University and was named an International Fellow in Applied Developmental Science at Tufts University in 2001. Mr. Little serves on several boards and international advisory councils, including Mercy Corps, Nike Foundation, and the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy.

Tracey Webster

Tracey is a South African social entrepreneur and CEO of the Enterprise Room which is committed to economic growth in South Africa through entrepreneurship, and building sustainable and profitable businesses, focusing on the success of small black owned businesses. Tracey was the CEO for the Branson Center for Entrepreneurship. Tracey was also a founding member and CEO of the Starfish Greathearts Foundation, South Africa. Under her leadership, Starfish supported 22,000 orphaned and vulnerable children across South Africa. Prior to Starfish Tracey worked for Deutsche Bank London as an Investor Relations Specialist. In 2004, Tracey was selected as a “Real Hero” to carry the Olympic Torch for South Africa. Other achievements include: attending the G8 Summit in 2005 giving voice to the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children, being chosen as a Cosmopolitan Awesome Woman for 2006 and an Archbishop Tutu Fellow in 2008. Tearfund, a global development organization, has selected Tracey as an Inspired Individual. Tracey is the former Executive Director of the African Leadership Institute and the Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu Fellows. As a consultant, she is working with young leaders from all sectors of the economy and from all over the continent to express their views on key African issues, and to create a vehicle through which their views and “agenda’s for change” can be heard and acted upon.

ABOUT US

CouldYou? is a New York-based 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to supporting African solutions to African problems focused on ending poverty in Africa.